BREAKING: Francis Ngannou receives offer from BKFC within a day of controversial UFC exit

Francis Ngannou's UFC release was made official last weekend after a year-long contract dispute with the promotion. 'The Predator' is now no longer the UFC heavyweight champion, making way for a clash between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane for the vacant title in March.

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) has now joined the list of bidders looking to rope in Ngannou. Making their intent clear, BKFC wrote in a recent tweet:

"📞@francis_ngannou"

BKFC president David Feldman also reiterated his company's stance in a statement released to MMA Junkie:

"We’re very interested in signing Francis Ngannou and would very much like to have him compete in the stacked BKFC heavyweight division. We’re tabling an offer for his services, and hopefully fans will see him in the BKFC squared circle in 2023.”

Ngannou has been out of action, rehabbing from a knee surgery since his UFC 270 title defense against Ciryl Gane in January 2022. Apart from BKFC, the former UFC champion is also being eyed by Bellator and PFL.

UFC head honcho Dana White claimed to have been turned down by Ngannou despite offering him the most lucrative deal in UFC heavyweight history.

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Francis Ngannou has a trick up his sleeve, claims head coach

Only time will tell how Francis Ngannou's decision to cut ties with the UFC plays out for 'The Predator's career. While some think he could make 'retirement money' in a single boxing fight against Tyson Fury, others believe the 36-year-old might lose out on several years of his prime by staying outside the biggest MMA promotion in the world.

However, Ngannou's head coach, Eric Nicksick, believes the former UFC champion knows what he is doing. Having seemingly spoken to Ngannou, Nicksick claims that 'The Predator' has a trick up his sleeve which is likely to be revealed soon. The Xtreme Couture coach recently said on The MMA Hour:

"I talked to Francis, and I just said, 'Hey, man, this tweet that Ciryl put out was very calculated. Right? You know that this is how these guys work.' He [Ngannou] goes, 'I know.' So, I said, 'What's next?' And he just said, 'You know, bubba, I got something up my sleeve.' And that's all. I just giggled. I was like, 'Alright, man.' So, I believe in him, man. I think he's got something in the works."

Catch Eric Nicksick's comments below (13:20):